LIBERIA AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | ,

IMPACT REPORT

Submitted by Cynthia Blandford Nash, Honorary Consul General Republic of Liberia And President & CEO of Global Strategies for Good, LLC

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM GSG

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

Honorary Consul General Republic of Liberia and

Cynthia Blandford Nash Honorary Consul General Republic of Liberia

President/CEO, Global Strategies for Good , LLC|

As Honorary Consul General Republic of Liberia and President and CEO of Global Strategies for Good, LLC, it gives me great pleasure to provide you with the “Issues in Tertiary ” 2012, The Global Bridge Connecting Education, Business and Community Conference, Impact Report for your review and consideration.

We have attempted to provide you with a high-level review of the impact of the 2012 conference and a summary of the major discussion points of the panelists. We also shared highlights of the various meetings and site-visits held at the University of Liberia and Fendel Campuses and provided some recommendations and suggestions for next steps, including fundraising strategies, the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding between UL and CAU, and the launching of a 1- 2 week student exchange program between the UL and CAU student government associations next year, to name a few.

We recognize that there is much work left to be done. However, we are committed to moving this work forward with Clark Atlanta University, the Association of Liberian Universities (ALU) , business stakeholders and the community to help further the discussions on improving tertiary education in Liberia. We are particularly interested in furthering our discussions with the business community to better understand the skills needed to help put people to work and to help improve the quality of life for Liberians.

A special thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Joseph N. Boakai, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, and his staff, Chief of Staff, Steve Stevquoah, George Saah, Public Relations; Dr. Carlton Brown, President, Clark Atlanta University (incoming University Consortium for Liberia Chair); Dr. Emmet Dennis, President, the Association of Liberian Universities and the University of Liberia; Dr. Walter Wiles, UL’s Vice President Institutional Advancement and Dr. Siaam Naami, ALU’s Secretary General; Dr. Albert Coleman, Ministry of Education, and UL’s Michelle Stubblefield, for their vision and support of this important work. To Henry Taylor, CAU’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement and University Relations and Katrina Strickland, Executive Director, Global Leadership Academy for their tireless efforts and in coordinating CAU’s faculty involvement and to the outstanding contributions of the CAU faculty including Dr. Charles Moses, Dean, School of Business Administration, Dr. Olu Olatidoye, Professor, Engineering and Computer Science, Dr. Eric Mintz, Professor of Chemistry and Dr. Paul Brown, Director of Global Education, Study Abroad and Student Exchange.

Finally, to my Chief of Staff, Maryalice O. Moses and Ardella Y. Blandford, Special Assistant for their commitment and excellent work and to our speakers, volunteers and interns for taking the time and effort to make their contributions to this important conversation. A special thanks to Wilfred T. Harris, Advance Team Lead, Wellington VanPelt, Moderator, U.K. Jones, Photography/Videography, Darren Wilkins, IT Support and Press Coordinator Joseph Reeves, Chairman of the Liberian Association of Metropolitan Atlanta (LAMA) for their leadership and support. Appreciation to our student Interns Saki Golafale, UL Class of 2011 Chemistry, Melvinia Jallah, A.M.E. University Business Major and Brezhnev Passewe, UL Sociology for providing excellent service and assistance to our U.S. Delegation.

Of course this work could not be done without our sponsors including GSG, the Liberian Consulate, the Liberian Government, Delta Air Lines, CAU, UL, ALU, the Mayor of Monrovia, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter, Link2Link and J.Lane Media.

I look forward to the future and in working with you!

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Education & Business Conference 2012 Liberia “Issues in Tertiary Education, The Global Bridge Connecting Education, Business and Community” was launched in support of the University Consortium for Liberia (UCL), an initiative developed by Cynthia Blandford Nash, The Liberian Honorary Consul General in Atlanta, Georgia. UCL was established with the mission to “lift Liberia by coordinating diverse academic efforts for increased impact.” The UCL initiative was launched in June 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in collaboration with the Liberian Embassy in Washington, D.C. with a particular focus on the University of Liberia and other tertiary institutions in the country.

In furtherance of this effort, the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, in March 2012, co-hosted the Liberian Business Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, in collaboration with the Liberian Consulate and Global Strategies for Good at Clark Atlanta University (CAU, where more than 300 business attended and where there was a Call for Action from the Vice President that “Liberia is Open for Business.” On July 2, 2012, the President of the University of Liberia and the President of the Association of Liberian Universities (ALU), Dr. Emmet Dennis, co-hosted the UCL meeting with the Liberian Consulate and Dr. Carlton Brown, CAU President, identifying key needs of tertiary education in Liberia. These needs included How to Manage Re- sources at the University Level; Challenges of Tertiary Education; Entrepreneurship in the Liberian Context; Leadership Development and Ethics; Models of STEM Education; How to Transition into Four Year /Universities and Real Work Experiences; Student and Faculty Exchanges and Study Abroad and Workforce Development in the New Liberia. In addition to CAU, other UCL member institutions participating at this meeting included Emory University, the University of Georgia, the Carter Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Technical School and others.

Together we agreed that a conference would be held in Monrovia October 1-3, 2012, to help address the challenges of tertiary education in Liberia in collaboration with the Association of Liberian Universities (ALU). Dr. Carlton Brown, incoming chair for UCL, took the challenge to bring his key faculty to Liberia to include the Dean of the School of Business Administration, Professor of Engineering, Professor of Chemistry and the Director of Faculty and Student Exchange to help provide leadership, support and solutions. The Liberian Consulate, CAU, Global Strategies for Good, LLC, CAU and the ALU began the planning process for the Republic of Liberia’s first Education and Business Conference.

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM GSG

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Continued)

The 2-day Education and Business conference impacted more than 300 students, faculty, staff, government, civic and community who attended the conference held at Monrovia City Hall and where more than 40 speakers participated. Thou- sand of dollars were generated in the local Liberian economy to support hotels, transportation, and facilities providing in- come for consultants, caterers, drivers & student interns. A few educational scholarships were also provided to students. The U.S. Delegation totaled twenty-one of which four were Liberians from the Diaspora who provided conference leadership and support. Five in the delegation opened up small business entities in the country including Security, Mining, IT Solutions, Travel and Tourism and E-Commerce. The sheer intellectual capital provided by 8 and University Presidents and more than 20 Deans and faculty was immeasurable. Three Liberian student interns from UL and A.M.E. University provided hands-on support to the U.S. delegation. The Liberian business and industry participation totaled 7 including Firestone, Sami Darby, Delta Air Lines, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the National Oil Company, the Liberian Petroleum Refining Company and the Liberian Telecommunications Company. An outcome of the conference will be a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CAU and UL to further outline the way forward in terms of faculty and student exchange, joint research and fundraising efforts, on-line courses, book donations, to name a few.

Note, that in addition to the conference, site-visits and private discussions took place between CAU, the U.S. Delegation and the faculty and staff at the UL and Fendel Campuses to conduct a general needs assessment and to build relationships. Reports and recommendations are also included in the detailed Impact Report, that will only be made available to key stakeholders for review and further consideration.

For further information, please contact Cynthia Blandford Nash at 404-590-1855

or e-mail her at [email protected]

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

How to Manage Resources at the University Level

Dr. Carlton Brown, CAU’s President and UL’s President Dr. Emmet Dennis co-facilitated the discussion with six Liberian College and University Presidents on “How to Manage Resources at the University Level.”

Panelists:

Dr. Carlton Brown, President, Clark Atlanta University

Dr. Emmet Dennis, President, University of Liberia

Dr. Jean Bell Manning, President, A.M.E. University

Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell, President,

Dr. Arnold G. Hill, President, Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Bailey, President, United Methodist University (UMU)

Dr. James Kollie, President, Lofa Community College

Sister Mary Lawrence, President, Stella Maris Polytechnic

Dr. Michael Slawon, Director General National Commission on Higher

Education, Ministry of Education

Dr. Carlton Brown, CAU President, facilitating “How to Manage Resources” at the Conference.

Dr. Emmet Dennis, President UL providing remarks on Association of Liberian University Presidents at the Confer- tertiary education needs and challenges. ence.

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM GSG

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

Challenges of Tertiary Education

Dr. Michael Slawon, Director General of the National Commission on Higher Education Republic of Liberia, was the moderator for this panel discussion. It is hopeful that the Memorandum of Understanding between UL and CAU will help to address some of these challenges.

The Future!

(Students at A.W. Pearson Elementary School, Monrovia, Liberia West Africa)

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

Entrepreneurship in the Liberian context

Entrepreneurship in the Liberian context discussions with the Honorable Ciata Bishop, Executive Director of the National Investment Commission, Moni Captan, President, Liberian Chamber of Commerce, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Honorable Miata Beyslolow , Mr. Theophilus T. Bettie, MA, MBA, Deputy Governor Central Bank of Liberia, Darren Wilkins, Author of “A Digital Liberia”, Wilfred T. Harris, Founder and President of the Liberian American Partnership Initiative (LAPI) and Dr. Charles Moses, CAU, were encouraging and deserve further discussion.

CAU’s Dr. Charles Moses, Dean, School of Business Administration, Dr. Paul M. Brown, Director of Global Education, Study Abroad & Student Exchange and Dr. Adrienne Booth Johnson, Infinity Global Connections, LLC (Retired Coca-Cola) and CAU’s Dr. Olu Olatidoye, Professor Engineering and Computer Science at the conference. (Above)

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM GSG

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

How to Transition into Four Year Colleges/Universities Real Work Experiences, Short –Term Certifications, Industry Specific Training and Co-Ops Panelists: Dr. Michael Slawon- Director General National Commission on Higher Education- Republic of Liberia, Dr. Elizabeth Davis- Russell- President – Tubman University, Sister Mary Lawrence- President of Stella Maris Polytechnic, Dr. Emmet Dennis, President, University of Liberia, Dr. Jean Bell Manning- President of A.M.E. University, Dr. Wiles- VP of University of Liberia, Dr. Coleman, Ministry of Education, Dr. James Kollie- President of Lofa Community College, Ardella Y. Blandford, Professor, Central Piedmont Community College.

Saki Golafale, UL Alumnus Class of 2011, Chemistry, and Conference Intern addressing issues of lack of labo- ratories, equipment and textbooks at the conference. Dr. Eric Mintz, Professor of Chemistry at CAU looking on.

FACULTY AND STUDENT EXCHANGE AND STUDY ABROAD

Dr. Paul M. Brown, CAU Director of Global Education, Study Abroad and Student Exchanges moderated this panel on Faculty and Student Exchange and Study Abroad: Expanding the Global Economy through capacity building and hands-on experi- ence. The U.S. Delegation’s visitation to the J.W. Pearson Kindergarten/Elementary School was an eye-opening experience.

Intern Brezhnev Passewee and J.W. Pearson Kindergarten/ CAU’s Dr. Carlton Brown at J.W. Pearson CAU’s Dr. Eric Mintz instructing in class- Elementary School Elementary mentoring (Right) room. (Far Right)

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE NEW LIBERIA

With 80% unemployment, $1US daily average income and with 60% of the population 25 years and younger, high illiteracy rates, and with youth who have a hunger to learn, Liberia has both deep challenges and huge opportunities to help shape the future of the Republic. To this end, the Education and Business Conference aimed to bring businesses and education leaders together to better understand what industries need for a skilled workforce and how academia can help prepare the workforce of tomorrow.

Coca-Cola Bottling Company Liberia

The Minister of Labor, the Honorable Varbah Garflor, made the case that “this forum has been organized at a time when government is faced with challenges of bridging the gap between education and business on the one hand and the business and community on the other.”

Liberian Businesses & Concessionaires who participated in Education & Business Conference:

Firestone Sami Darby The Coca-Cola Company Delta Air Lines Liberian Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) Consultant Liberia Telecommunications Corporation

Mr. Peenak Kosandal, Finance & Analysis Manager, Firestone Liberia Keynote lunch speaker at Education & Business Conference

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM GSG

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

Businesses Opened by U.S. Delegation

One of the objectives of the Education & Business Mission trip was to assist members of the U.S. delegation in opening up a business in Liberia. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and with the help of Mr. Abu Kamara Registrar of Companies, Liberia Business Registry, five (5) business entities were successfully opened during the mission trip, including the following:

 Tourism  Security  IT  E-Commerce  Mining

The U.S. Delegation at the Liberian Senate with H.E. Joseph N. Boakai and his staff. Five delegation members opened business while in Liberia.

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

Avenues of Collaboration and Partnership between CAU and UL

On October 4, 2012, in an effort to further the relationship between CAU and UL and as a component of the Education and Business Conference, various site-visits and private meetings were held with UL and Fendel faculty, deans and staff to conduct preliminary needs assessments and to have conversations with the joint leadership teams. Participants meeting with CAU’s Dean of Business Administration Dr. Charles Moses:

Geegbae A. Geegbae, Assoc. Prof. of Economics and Dean, University of Liberia College of Business and Public Administration, Anthony J. Henry, Acting Dean, , , Professor Sunny Garrin Nyemah, Academic Director, University of Liberia, Graduate School of Business and Public Administration, Asst. Prof. Foday S. Kamara, Sr., Acting Chairman, Dept. of Accounting, University of Liberia College of Business and Public Administration

Chemistry and Engineering

The U.S. delegation visiting the UL Fendel Campus included Dr. Olu Olatidoye, Professor, Engineering and Computer Science, Dr. Eric Mintz, Professor of Chemistry, and Ardella Y. Blandford, Professor, Central Piedmont Community College. The team was well received at the Engineering Division by the Associate Dean Albert T. Chie. Also present at the meeting were Chairs in the Engineering Division and Chemistry Department. Each Member of faculty introduced themselves and the US delegations intro- duce themselves. Saki Golafale, UL Alumnus Class of 2011 Chemistry Major accompanied the team to Fendel as well.

CAU and UL Faculty at the Fendel Campus

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM GSG

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

Avenues of Collaboration and Partnership between CAU and UL were discussed to assist with capacity building and support, as noted by the pictures below:

CAU’s Dr. Olu Olatidoye, Professor, Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. Mintz Professor of Chemis- try visiting the Chemistry Lab at the UL Fendel Campus with UL Faculty and Staff

Dr. Michael Slawon, Director General National Commission on Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Dr. Emmet Dennis, President Association of University Presidents and President University of Liberia, H.E. Joseph N. Boakai, the Honorable Cyn- thia Blandford Nash, Honorary Consul General Republic of Liberia, and Dr. Carlton Brown, President, Clark Atlanta University at the Welcome Reception held by the Vice President at Belle Casa Hotel, Monrovia, Liberia.

LIBERIA EDUCATION AN D BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2012 | MONROVIA, LIBERIA

IMPACT REPORT Submitted by Cynthia Blandford Nash, Honorary Consul General Republic of Liberia and President and CEO Global Strategies for Good, LLC

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM GSG